15 Places to Grab Lunch in Portland for Every Occasion (2024)

If there’s a place to wine and dine on a downtown afternoon, it’s Måurice, a devout luncheonette serving Norwegian and French fare. The menu is pastry-forward, but pastry doesn’t always mean sweet. Think lox-garnished savory Danishes and delicate potato lefse filled with chanterelle mushrooms—not to mention the cloudlike, polenta clafoutis decorated with a poached egg. Handwritten menus and delicate smørrebrøds make for a classy business lunch, a memorable afternoon catching up with friends, or a romantic date. After a few pandemic turns, Måurice settled on a mostly by-reservation service, but walking in is possible and the menu is a la carte.

11AM–3PM Wed–Sat, 921 SW Oak St

Jake’s hasn’t changed much in its century-plus of business, and you can feel it. This is the spot for a lunch-hour martini. If you’re after a time machine of a restaurant, stumble through the richly patinaed doors and say hey to the bow-tied bartenders. There is a full Cajun-leaning menu of stuffed salmon and crawfish étouffée, but time-honored seafood dishes like shrimp co*cktail and oysters on the half shell are the way to go.

11:30AM–9PM Sun–Thu; 11:30AM–10PM Sat & Sun, 401 SW 12th Ave

From former Angel Food and Fun chef Manuel “Manny” Lopez, this Yucatecan spot resurrects his storied panuchos, rellenos, and burritos that Portland fell in love with, then longed for in Lopez’s five-year absence from the scene. Simply and accurately, Ki’ikibáa translates from Mayan as “delicious food.”

11AM–8pm Mon–Sat; 11am–5pm SUn, 3244 NE 82nd Ave

A no-frills sandwich, the kind of thing you’d expect from a place called Meat Cheese Bread, is a surprisingly hard thing to track down. If you’re after a solid BLT (available only in the summer) or nostalgic, deli-style turkey on sourdough, this is the place. Picture a “sandwich shop” and you have a pretty good idea of the aesthetic: a pile of cookies on the counter, the day’s soup written on a roll of butcher paper hanging from the wall, fresh-baked bread in the air. A few tables inside and a run of picnic tables on the sidewalk make for plenty of room for you and your friends and their dog.

7am–3pm daily, 1406 SE Stark St

As one of the city’s few truly all-day cafés, Olli is the de facto Portland lunch spot. Come for the loaded pastry case (fancy chocolate chip cookies, savory Danishes), the crusty baguette and focaccia sandwiches, some of Portland’s best pizza, and religiously vegetal salads. There’s also a full espresso bar. Natural light floods the minimally decorated space and blond-wood banquettes and a slew of covered, communal tables outside offer ample seating. There are also 10 or so barstools at the chef's counter if you want to huddle around the wood oven.

9AM–9PM Tue–Sat, 9am–2pm Sun, 3925 NE MLK Jr. Blvd

This New York–style sourdough pizza spot made a big splash when it opened in 2021. After cutting his teeth as executive chef of Nancy Silverton’s Triple Beam Pizza in Los Angeles, chef-partner Darby Aldaco brought his talents to Portland. His naturally leavened pies get their nuanced and nutty flavor from whole grains and the slightest touch of rye. That said, popping in for lunch and grabbing a perfectly greasy slice doesn’t require much thinking. The atmosphere is well-put-together-casual, and there’s plenty of indoor and covered outdoor seating. Scarf down a slice or two. Pretend you’re in New York.

11:30AM–9PM Wed–Mon, 2610 NW Vaughn St

Jojo is named for its fried potato wedges, but chicken is the star. It’s served as lightly spiced “popcorn” nuggets; features in several towering sandwich iterations, spiced with Crystal hot sauce and Alabama white mustard; it’s even grilled, if that’s your thing. What’s more, the back of the menu mirrors the front, except everything is turned vegan and gluten free, swapping in thick slabs of breaded and fried tofu. The brick-and-mortar spot in the Pearl District is an outcropping of the original, diner-inspired food cart that, despite its plant-filled and dark-wood-accented dining room, maintains a nostalgic, Americana charm.

11AM–10pm daily; brunch 9am–2pm Sat–Mon, 902 NW 13th Ave

In 2016, Tokyo’s Marukin Ramen brought straight-from-Japan Hakata ramen (a subgenre of the tonkotsu style) to Portland. The broth was distinctly rich and porky, and the noodles were thin with a remarkable slurp and chew. Portland dug in: years on, there’s a constant line for karaage bites and bowls of spicy-creamy red paitan and vegan miso ramens. A few years ago, the company separated from its parent brand in Japan, changing the name to Kinboshi and leaning into the local influence (read: half of the ramen on offer is vegan).

11AM–10PM daily, 609 SE Ankeny St, Suite A

Maybe Portland’s closest thing to an iconic diner. The hash browns are crispy, the eggs are how you like ’em, and the pancakes always fluffy. Chances are the people sitting next to you at the bar are on a first-name basis with the waitstaff—though the servers will call you “honey.” Breakfast, of course, is available all day, but missing the burger—sesame bun, classic fixings, offered “double decker” if you like, and unchanged for going on 70 years—would be a mistake. There’s no Impossible meat here, but there are “garden” burgers.

7AM–2PM Mon–Sat; 8AM–2PM Sun, 136 NW Ninth Ave

Ya Hala has been quietly serving some of Portland’s best Lebanese food for a quarter century and counting. If at all possible, share the lemon chicken meal. The perfectly charred, bone-in whole, half, or quarter birds are served with pita, cabbage salad, hummus, potatoes, and toum, a garlicky cousin of aioli. You can do a quarter bird on your own, but a half or whole is more fun. Don’t miss the stuffed grape leaves and labneh in the grab-and-go section on your way out.

Noon–8PM daily, 8005 SE Stark St

Nominally Greek, Bluto’s leans more everything-that-can-be-served-with-pita than a specific cuisine. Skewers (souvlaki) of spiced lamb, vegetables, or Olympia Provisions Greek loukaniko sausage come out of the live fire and are served on enameled metal plates next to what the menu calls “stuff”: haloumi-scattered “Greek fries,” handheld spanakopita, and tangy house pickles. Everything is a la carte, and best shared as a spread. Vegetables like charred cauliflower with green tahini and a chicory and citrus salad get more attention than you might expect from a fast-casual-presenting place named after John Belushi’s Animal House character. And as the menu reminds you in boldface all caps: “DON’T FORGET BREAD.”

11AM–10PM daily, 2838 SE Belmont St

Where family-friendly and foie gras mingle. The infamous, White Castle–inspired steam burgers lead the charge of Gabriel Rucker’s suburban outpost. But, like the original Canard on E Burnside, the menu is full of playful high-low dishes. Think flattop diner meets French wine bar. A classic goat cheese omelet (listed on the menu with an ironic l’apostrophe) sits next to a broccoli Cobb salad. Foie gras dumplings next to Funyuns-decorated mac ’n’ cheese. Malleability is Canard’s game. Drop by for post–soccer practice funfetti pancakes or a dozen oysters on the half shell, or both. Bring the family or woo a client.

brunch 1oAM–2PM Sat & Sun; lunch 11am–2pm Mon–FRi; dinner 4–9PM daily, 1500 Washington St, Oregon City

How many places still have a soup of the day? Not a phony, quarterly-rotating cast of purees, but a truly ad hoc special? Higgins’ housemade charcuterie gets the same treatment: duck liver moussette, terrines, and too many salami options to list. Cheese is equally inspired. For lunch, we love the worn-wood, anachronistic bar, where the bistro menu is served all day (lunch in the dining room ends at 2pm). If you’re after a more substantial meal, the burger is meaty, and comes with soup or salad like it’s 1995. Something more refined? Carnaroli risotto and a saffron bourride show up among the rotating entrees. The wine list is long and the imported tap list is longer.

11:30AM–2PM & 5PM–close Wed–Fri; dinner only Sat & Sun, 1239 SW Broadway

Murata might be the only place in Portland where we recommend the valet. It’s a fitting way to kick off your Financial District power lunch. Sit at the sushi counter or, better yet, call ahead to reserve a private tatami room. Specific to the lunch menu (available weekdays till 2pm) is Murata’s teishoku, a traditional Japanese set meal. You choose a protein—assorted sashimi to broiled rib eye to hakata-age (fried chicken)—that’s served with cucumber salad, steamed rice, and pickles.

11:30AM–2PM & 5–9PM Mon–Fri; dinner only Sat; closed Sun, 200 SW Market St

This longtime favorite North Portland café serves a snacky, brunchy menu into the afternoon with a fun list of mostly local natural wines. It’s tiny and overflowing with neighborhood charm. The famed corn cakes (which disappeared for a moment postpandemic) are what you’re seeing on every table. House focaccia rolls make for sandwiches from the heavens: spicy mayo and scrambled egg and ever-changing cold-cut and vegetarian options. Don’t leave without something sweet.

10am–3pm daily, 5202 N Albina Ave